& really to be honest I didn't want to talk to you, because I felt weird prancing around announcing to the world I'm fasting. I felt like an entertainer with jazz hands, or better yet, the energizer bunny. But God is funny & intertwines His story with mine, so I cannot tell you His things apart from sharing my own.
Here is the beginning.
If someone were to come across me, a stranger in the street, this is what they would probably say.
She was really, really short with dark brownish blackish straight hair,
bangs covering her forehead. She had black-rimmed glasses, skinny jeans,
& a coffee mug in right hand.
Because all strangers now acquaintances who have had that awkward introduction have been welcomed by me & my coffee mug. I am sure of it. Heavily addicted, I drink more coffee than the food I eat. With that being said, this fast is strictly water on the liquid side of things. So twenty one days of no coffee. & you know what?
I'm perfectly fine.
Last year when I did this same thing, I was down & out for at least three days with a lovely migraine called caffeine withdrawal. I literally remember a night sitting in my bed thinking what do I live for. This time around is so different. Because even though I love coffee, I know who I live for. Not that I didn't then, but circumstances & seasons have the tendency to fog your vision a bit.
So this being said, I have been fine since day one, no migraines, no regrets. (here's where a YOLO would fit nicely) & the food-- everything I have eaten thus far has been delicious. Better than anything I have eaten in a long time, restaurants included.
& so I keep telling my sister Emma that this is so weird, & that I almost feel guilty because I'm not suffering through this. No tears. No lusting after my parent's hoagie sandwiches. Mom can still get her coffee at Dunkin during lunch with me & I am good with my water. I sent her
this doesn't feel like a punishment
& Jesus responded
its not.
Loving Him is not a punishment.
Living for Him is not a punishment. It's a reward we are unworthy of, yet it's freely ours.
Come to me, all you who are weary & burdened, & I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you & learn from me, for I am
gentle & humble in heart, & you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy & my burden in light.
MATTHEW 11:28-30 NIV
Come to me with your tomorrows, your exams, your fears. Come to me & find what you're looking for. I will give you rest. Isn't it freeing? If your Jesus feels heavy, it's time for an introduction. Because the lover of our souls is not weighty or a nuisance.
He is the same love couples exchange rings over, & make promises of forever. He is the same joy in a babies laughter. He is the same peace that hushes the ocean after a storm. He is the patience of a father pushing along behind the bike without the training wheels, the mother repeating the loopty loo to tie your own shoes. He is the kindness in a strangers smile, the goodness in a pink & purple sunrise. He is the faithfulness that wakes you up every morning, the gentleness of a butterflies wings, & the self-control of the gymnast.
& He just wants you to ask for Him.
Say you need Him, & He tucks you away in himself so that He can take the crashing waves for you. He longs for you with a wild, free, adventurous love.
The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,
so that I know how to comfort the weary.
Morning by morning he wakens me
& opens my understanding to his will.
ISAIAH 50:4 NLT
I have cared for you since you were born.
Yes, I carried you before you were born.
I will be your God through out your lifetime--
until your hair is white with age.
I made you, & I will care for you.
I will carry you along & save you.
ISAIAH 46:3-4 NLT
You are precious to me, you are honored, & I love you.
ISAIAH 43:4 NLT
He longs to kiss you awake, like a fairytale ending, love. He doesn't bring confusion but peace & order & life & understanding. He brings the days answers. He brings Himself, which is better than anything you could ever imagine.
The giver of life wants to care for you.
Won't you let Him?
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